


Who You Gonna Call?

by CookieDoughMe



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Getting Together, Gift Exchange, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, bit part appearances by Audrey and Nathan, canon adjacent, canon typical levels of peril
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27894025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/pseuds/CookieDoughMe
Summary: Seth is surprised when Duke phones asking for help with another Trouble, he is worried when he gets to Haven and hears about the plan he is expected to help with, and he is alarmed when he unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of the action.But the thing he finds most unexpected of all, is the conversation he has afterwards.This is a gift exchange fic for Parker_Haven_Wuornos, based on the prompts: Duke/Seth and Getting together, and/or hurt/comfort. Thank you Parker_Haven_Wuornos for the prompts and thank you tomythoughtsaretroubledfor organising the exchange! <3
Relationships: Seth Byrne/Duke Crocker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2
Collections: Haven 2020 Gift Exchange





	Who You Gonna Call?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Parker_Haven_Wuornos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parker_Haven_Wuornos/gifts).



“Darkside Seekers, we hunt what’s haunting you,” Seth answered the phone in his habitual lilt without stopping to look at it.

"Seth, it's Duke."

"Duke Crocker, what paranormal creature is infesting the Gull this time?" asked Seth, looking up from the circuit board he was re-wiring. He was much happier with the interruption now he knew who was making it, even if he had lost count of the number of times he’d been called in to assist with some impossible problem or another afflicting Haven over the last few years.

"Seems we might have a werewolf in town. We're trying to figure out a way to track it. Can you help?"

If Seth had been a different sort of person (or, perhaps, if Duke had been), he might have pointed out that he was currently several hundred miles away, in the middle of another job, and low on funds. "I'll be there tomorrow," he said.

-

By the time Seth arrived at Haven PD, the working theory had changed from werewolf to some kind of ghost, but whatever the specific paranormal creature in question it seemed it was targeting the Gull. 

"You're going to do _what_?" asked Seth, slightly strung out from driving all night.

"It's not as terrible a plan as it sounds," Duke said in his best soothing voice. Nathan and Audrey made faces that implied a qualified agreement with this statement.

"Well it'd better not be because it sounds absolutely fucking suicidal."

"We're not asking _you_ to do anything dangerous," Audrey pointed out.

"No, you're just asking me to _record_ the deliberately staged death and destruction!" Even as Seth said it he realised he was starting to sound a little hysterical and he paused for a big breath in.

"We just need…"  
"Haven't got any other …"

Audrey and Nathan both spoke at once, but Seth stopped them with a raised hand, held in place until he could hold his breath no longer.

"It's fine. I didn't say I wouldn't do it, did I? I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware. What time is this inevitable disaster scheduled for?"

-

Later that evening, fresh from a whole four hours sleep, Seth started setting up various cameras and recording devices in the Gull. He was taping wires out the way when Duke came in from outside.

"Turns out this thing might be more of a ghoul than a ghost," Duke said. "Will your stuff still be able to .…?"

"Yes, yes," replied Seth impatiently, unsurprised the theory had changed. "Patent pending for all types of undead and supernatural creatures. But do you still think it's after you, specifically, not just this place?" he asked.

"Seems to be," Duke replied. "What can I say? I'm irresistible."

Seth opened his mouth to reply, then decided better of it and turned to pick up the next camera. "Well I still think this is suicidal. You really expect me to just sit hidden in the corner and watch while you get smashed to pieces?"

"I'm not going to get smashed to pieces. I'm going to be prepared. And armed. Very armed," Duke assured him. "I'm going back to the Rouge to pick up several different types of gun now, plus there's the iron rod in case it's the kind of ghost we thought it was earlier, plus the silver knife the Teagues dug out to match their theory, plus we've got the salt …"

"Yes, I know all that Mr Organised. I still think setting yourself up as bait is insane."

"By the standards of most people or by the standards of _our_ lives?" Duke asked. 

Seth didn't have an answer to that.

Duke clapped him on the shoulder on the way past. "Keep working, I'll be back in a bit."

-

Everything was set and ready, now came the wait for the (hopefully unsuspecting) creature to walk into their trap. The waiting lasted longer than expected, but Seth was prepared for that; waiting always did take long than you thought it would, that's what made it waiting. Eventually though, his devices sprung into life; lights flashing and needles flickering as the readings automatically set the cameras running.

Things moved very quickly after that. There was a thump from one direction, a scream from another and a sudden sense of movement far closer to him than Seth would have liked. Watching what he could see of the dimly lit space itself, as well as the various monitors that captured multiple angles in multiple different wavelengths, Seth tried to keep track of where both Duke and the creature might be, at the same time as adjusting various knobs, dials and settings to try and record as much footage and information as possible. Even if it turned out not to help the investigation, it was still footage he would want to capture. 

There was another sense of something large moving past him at disconcerting speed; this was worse than the rougarou had been. Then there was a crash from somewhere he couldn’t place, another sense of rapid movement and most of the remaining lights went out, leaving the place in almost total darkness. Duke fired a couple of shots, then swore when one of them clipped a couple of bottles on the top shelf behind the bar. Seth’s instruments went into overdrive; needles flicking dramatically side to side, lights blinking on and off and various alarms he’d never even heard before all started sounding at once. It would take some analysis to work out exactly what that all meant, but the gist was clear enough; something was about to happen and it was unlikely to be good.

And then Seth became aware of four things in rapid succession; Duke was near the centre of the room, looking out towards the parking lot at the front; the creature was back near the deck, approaching Duke from behind; Duke was looking slightly dazed from the last time the creature had rushed him; and it had picked up a chair that it was getting ready to swing at Duke’s unsuspecting head.

Deliberately not giving himself a chance to think any of this through, Seth dashed out from his hiding place, which fortunately positioned him at just the right point in the room to get between the creature and Duke. He called out and reached forwards to push Duke out of the way, but it was too late to make any difference. The creature swung the chair and instead of connecting with the back of Duke’s head, as it probably otherwise would have done, it caught the top of Seth’s, and he cried out and slumped to the floor.

Duke turned around in time to see what had happened and take in the creature’s frustrated howl that it had missed its intended target. Duke swung an iron rod at it and it howled again, then smashed its way out the doors and on up to the road.

Duke dropped to the floor beside Seth. "What did you do that for?" asked Duke, looking at the bloody gash on Seth’s head in alarm.

"It was going to smash you round the face," Seth pointed out through his daze. "Can’t have that pretty face getting all smushed up," he added, the end of the sentence getting slightly lost as he passed out.

-

Seth woke suddenly, with a thumping headache, vague sensation of nausea, and pressing sense of disorientation. He wasn't in his van, that much was very obvious, and waking up not in his van was usually a sign of something having gone wrong enough to knock him out, which typically meant waking up on the floor.

This was not the floor. This was a soft, warm and frankly gigantic bed that smelled of sandalwood. 

Disconcerted by this unfamiliar level of luxury, Seth tried to get up but the pain in his head protested. "Hello?" he called out cautiously.

A moment later Duke Crocker appeared in the doorway.

"Oh thank god," sighed Seth with relief, relaxing back against the pillows. "It's you."

"What? You thought the monster had dragged you off to it's lair, then … carefully tended to your head wound and tucked you into bed?" Duke asked, amused. He sat down on the side of the bed and put a steaming cup of something on the bedside table so he could look over Seth's injuries and bandages, carefully turning Seth's head to the side for a better angle. When he deemed him fit he gave him another pillow to lean against and handed him the mug, which turned out to contain hot chocolate.

"You remember what happened?" Duke asked.

Seth remembered a monster of some unspecified type rampaging through the Gull and heading directly for Duke. He remembered that the plan had called for him to stay out of sight, and he remembered that he had implusively gone charging in between the thing and Duke, just as it swung some heavy object round at head height. "Either I was a hero or an idiot," Seth admitted, expecting to be told he was the latter. "Details are fuzzy."

"Possibly you were both," Duke replied fondly. 

Seth took a sip of hot chocolate, savouring a sudden sensation of warmth that had nothing to do with the drink. 

“The creature ran off after your head got in its way. Nathan hunted it down, Audrey talked the Troubled person down. Things seem to be quiet for now.”

"Did you really bring me back to your place, carefully tend to my head wound and tuck me into your bed?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you calling me pretty?" Duke asked, and stretched out a hand to rest on Seth's arm.

Seth, who hadn’t been sure whether that part had been a dream, felt his cheeks go warm. “Right, ‘cos you don’t hear that all the time,” he said to his hot chocolate, feeling very sure that Duke Crocker must have a string of lovers following him wherever he went.

“I don’t, actually,” said Duke lightly.

“Well,” replied Seth looking up. He nearly left it at that, but after a moment figured if he was ever going to say it, now was probably the time. “You are.”

Duke’s hand squeezed Seth’s arm. “That was a hell of a kick in the head, how are you feeling?"

"Bit dazed," replied Seth, no longer sure how much of that was due to a solid piece of wood connecting with his skull at speed and how much was due to waking up to Duke Crocker bringing him hot chocolate in bed.

"Gloria checked you over but it might take you a little while to recover properly,” Duke told him. “So stay there as long as you need, OK? Stay there until you feel better."

"Thanks,” replied Seth, grateful for the medical care. As he considered his next question, his heart started beating almost faster than it had watching his instrument readings start to flicker away in the Gull. “And then?"

"Then, when you feel better? You can stay there then too if you like,” replied Duke easily, the end of his sentence turning into what could only be described as a suggestive grin. “I just might be less inclined to let you get your rest at that point.” Duke leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, giving Seth a perfect view of his gorgeous chest down through his loosely buttoned shirt. “I’m making soup, I need to go check it isn’t burning,” he said and stood up.

“I’m going to lie here and focus on getting better as quickly as humanly possible!” Seth called after Duke’s retreating back, gratified to hear his delighted laugh echo round the galley.

Seth took another sip of the delicious hot chocolate, luxuriating in several different kinds of warmth all at once as he thought back over the last few days - and the promise of the next few days to come. So far, this had not been his best week ever, what with the monster and the concussion and all. But with Duke's offer hanging heavy in the sandalwood-scented air all around him, he had a feeling that the rest of this week and into next was going to more than make up for such comparatively minor inconveniences as those.


End file.
